Elizabeth's New Season
by caitiebmoore
Summary: A year and a half had passed since Jack's death. Elizabeth has questions and concerns about opening her heart up again, but a certain man may hold all of the answers and her heart.


Elizabeth's New Season

Part 1

Elizabeth's House

It was still dark outside with morning's light starting to break through as Elizabeth made a pot of coffee. She knew baby Jack would be up soon, so she took advantage of the quiet morning. It had been almost two years since Jack had died, and the pain Elizabeth felt in her heart was slowly fading. Although the pain was fading, it still felt fresh. Jack had wanted her to find love and to be happy in the case of his death, and Elizabeth believed with all of her heart that he had wanted that for her .Although, she didn't know how to do that, nor if she ever could. What if a love like she had with Jack only came once in a lifetime? It seemed impossible to find that kind of love or happiness with another, but even if she never found love again, Elizabeth was determined to find joy. Elizabeth heard baby Jack starting to whine letting her know he was awake. He looked exactly like Jack, and was just as determined and stubborn as his father. Baby Jack had begun to crawl and to get into everything. Elizabeth made her way upstairs to baby Jack's bedroom. She walked in to find the cutest smile greeting her. "Good morning! How did you sleep?" She asked him as he cooed back in response. "It was that good?" He babbled in his own little language back to her. "Well, I'm glad. Let's get you changed and fed, and we will head to Abigail's."

Abigail's Cafe

"Hey, you two," Abigail said as Elizabeth entered into the kitchen of Abigail's Cafe with baby Jack in tow.

"Morning," Elizabeth replied.

"Give me that sweet baby," Abigail said reaching her arms out towards baby Jack. Elizabeth handed him over and walked over to a plate of warm scones Abigail had just pulled out of the oven.

"Abigail, how did you know you were ready for love again after Noah's death?" Elizabeth asked turning to look at Abigail.

"Well, I don't think I knew I was ready or had a defining moment of "this is it," but I knew I wasn't against a man showing interest in me," Abigail replied. Elizabeth shook her head in acknowledgement while pondering her own feelings.

"Why do you ask? Are you thinking about opening up to love again?" Abigail asked giving baby Jack a piece of a scone to nibble on.

"I don't know. I don't know if I could ever find love that could compare to what Jack and I had. I don't think it would be fair to another man, because I don't think I could ever love another man like I did Jack," Elizabeth said.

"The right person, if there is one, will know exactly how to handle what you bring. I'm sure he would be understanding of your feelings. And yes, you loved Jack deeply, and no one could ever replace that. There will always be a place in your heart just for him, but that doesn't mean that you aren't capable of love or even a strong love." Abigail told her.

Elizabeth gave a slight smile to Abigail, " I guess you're right."

"Just give it some time. You don't have to make a decision or figure all of these things out anytime soon."

"Well, I guess I better be going. You ok with Jack?" Elizabeth asked.

"We will be just fine," Abigail replied. Elizabeth kissed baby Jack goodbye and headed out the door to school.

As Elizabeth stepped outside into the morning sun, she felt a little different. Maybe she wasn't as broken as she thought she was. Maybe she'd be ok, and wouldn't live in pain for the rest of her life as she had planned. Elizabeth started making her way to school when Carson crossed her path in front of the Mercantile.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," Carson said.

"Morning," Elizabeth replied brightly.

"May I walk you to school," Carson asked.

"Of course. Any special reason?" She asked. Elizabeth and Carson had become good friends after Jack's death. He had been vital in helping Elizabeth begin to heal.

"No, I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied.

"Just fine?"

"Yes." "Elizabeth," he said drawn out. She looked at him.

"How are you really doing? You look like you have something on your mind."

"I'm just trying to feel okay," Elizabeth told him.

"Okay about what?" Carson asked.

"Okay with moving on."

"I see," he said. "It's okay to move on. You already know Jack wanted that for you. He wouldn't be upset with you if you did. Life keeps going for us when our loved ones die. It doesn't stop or slow down for us," Carson told her.

"I know. I'm struggling with the idea of possibly finding love in someone else and forgetting things about Jack or him becoming a faint memory," Elizabeth replied quietly.

"That won't happen. I promise." They arrived at the school.

"Thank you for walking me to school," Elizabeth said.

"Anytime," Carson replied with a smile.

"See you later," he said walking off as Elizabeth headed inside.

She was thankful for her friendship with Carson. He knew exactly what she was feeling since he had lost his wife, and that brought comfort to her. Most of the ladies in town knew how she felt, because a lot of them had lost their husbands in a mining accident. Abigail being included in that group, but Elizabeth saw a different side of those women when she came to town. She hadn't seen what it had truly done to them, because they were trying to survive. She never fully saw them sad or torn to pieces over their losses, but she had watched Carson come to town trying to run from his wife's death. She had watched him pick of pieces and find joy again. He gave her hope for the future. Plus, he was a refreshing person to talk to.

School House

As the school day ended, Elizabeth gathered her things to leave school. Her school children brought a lot of joy in her life. They were very kind, thoughtful, and full of love and wonder. Elizabeth knew she wouldn't have made it through the first year of Jack's death without them. They and baby Jack had kept her going and given her a reason to be. Elizabeth walked out of the school house to find a familiar face smiling at her with flowers in hand.

"Carson, haven't I already seen you today?" She asked.

"Yes, but if you want, I can go," he replied.

"No, no. That's not what I meant, but I am curious as to how I managed to gain your attention twice today," she said.

"Well, I didn't have anything going on in the infirmary and knew school was getting out, so I thought I'd come say hello," Carson said.

"And the flowers?" Elizabeth inquired.

Carson handed them to Elizabeth, "I saw them and they made me think of you."

Elizabeth smiled taking the flowers and smelling them, "Thank you, Carson. That was very sweet."

"May I carry your books for you?"

"Yes, thank you," she said. They started walking towards town together.

"So, how was your day? Boring, I gather since you're walking me home," Elizabeth said.

He chuckled and said, "You would be correct, but as a doctor, I count that as a good day, because no one was sick or hurt."

"That's always a good thing," Elizabeth replied.

"Very," he said. They carried on in silence for a moment with only the sounds from town filling their ears. "I wanted to ask you something, and I want you to feel free to say no if your uncomfortable in any way with this. Okay?" Carson said.

"Okay," she replied curious at what he was about to ask.

"Would you like to have dinner with me Friday night at Abigail's? I already talked to Abigail, and she said she would keep Jack for you. Again, if you're uncomfortable with it, you're more than welcome to say no," he said stopping her to look at him. She looked at him in the eyes searching for the right answer while he patiently waited for her response.

"Can I think about it?" She asked.

"Sure, whatever you need. Take your time," Carson replied. Elizabeth smiled at him, and they continued walking. Carson walked Elizabeth to Abigail's and wished her a good day.

Elizabeth opened the door to Abigail's kitchen. Walking in, she found Cody in the floor playing with baby Jack. Elizabeth walked over, picked up baby Jack, gave him a quick kiss, and put him back down in the floor to play with Cody.

"Hi, Elizabeth," Abigail greeted her as she came back into the kitchen from the front room carrying plates.

"So, did you know Carson was going to ask me to dinner?" Elizabeth asked her.

Abigail turned from the sink to look at Elizabeth. "I didn't until about an hour ago," she told her.

"I see," Elizabeth paused. "What should I do?"

"What do you want to do?" Abigail asked.

"To be honest, I don't know. What do you think?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?" Abigail asked Elizabeth.

"Always," she replied.

"I think that it might be good for you. You have questions about being ready and loving another man, but the only way to truly answers those questions is to test the waters. You don't have to jump back in, but dipping your toes in won't hurt. Besides, its Carson. He has been through what you're going through, and he's a good man. He wouldn't hurt you or push you to do something you don't want to do."

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt. It's not like this has to be anything or go anywhere, and Carson is a good friend," Elizabeth replied.

"Well there you go. It should be fun if nothing else," Abigail said with an encouraging smile.

"I guess I better go let Carson know before he changes his mind," Elizabeth said turning to go out the door.

"We will be here when you get back, and I have supper on for you and Jack," Abigail said.

"Thanks, Abigail," Elizabeth said.

To Be Continued


End file.
